Another death was recorded and 281 more laboratory-confirmed cases were reported for the week ending March 24, according to data from the Monroe County Department of Public Health.

New cases were down nine from the previous week. But that’s barely enough to think flu season is over, particularly after late February and early March when cases dropped three straight weeks and then rallied.

"Like our winter, flu is not done with us quite yet," said John Ricci, senior public health educator and spokesman for the health department. "People should continue to be careful and keep their hands washed."

So far, Monroe County has confirmed 6,194 cases, seemingly a record. “I don’t recall a year with this many cases,” Ricci said. The 2016 and 2017 seasons combined totaled 5,718 confirmed cases.

The county so far has recorded 15 flu-related deaths. The most recent death was a person in the 75-to-84 age group, bringing the total in that group to eight. Last season, Monroe County recorded 13 deaths.

Flu is tracked from October to April.

Other numbers for the week ending March 24:

The 30 new confirmed cases among infants to 4-year-olds were the most in that age group in three weeks;

Confirmed cases in the 18-to-49 and 50-to-64 age groups were up from the previous week; and

Hospitalizations overall were down slightly, with the biggest drop in raw numbers in the 85-and-older group.